𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐋 𝐃𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑, percy jackson

CHAPTER 88! she'd never get over the crush she had on her boyfriend

they made their way back through the amusement center.

when they passed the coop, the chickens looked at them with renewed interest.

one of the chicks in particular, which had pink fluff around its eyes and beak, followed them along the fence, strutting and peeping.

"wow, rude," grover said.

"what?" percy loooed over.

"she's threatening to tear the flesh from our bones." grover huffed.

percy glanced nervously at the chick. "okay, lil killer. calm down. we're leaving."

"fuck you." cherry replied, and then her eyes widened. "i haven't been this mean since i was nine. i'm nine!"

suddenly, grover rounded on percy, lowered his head, and butted percy in the chest hard enough to push him back a step.

"ow!" percy complained. "dude, why?"

"get off me." cherry shoved percy back, after he'd shoved right into her. "oh wow. i was a cunt."

"sorry, sorry!" grover rubbed his horns. "i-i need to play. i'm practicing social dominance in the herd."

he butted percy in the chest again.

"this is going to get old real quick," percy said.

"right now, i'd love to get old real quick," annabeth said. "let's keep going."

none of the other patrons paid them any attention.

they just looked like more children in the crowd.

percy's eyes began to water. he looked nervous.

"are you crying?" cherry questioned, and percy swore he was about to burst into tears.

percy shoved the door of the exit.

no one had chained the doors.

the group stepped back into the afternoon sunlight of times square, and they were still little kids.

percy grabbed grover's arm to keep him from head-butting a street performer in a mickey mouse costume.

"so, what now?" annabeth asked, her voice tight. "we can't just go home like this."

"it'll be okay," percy said.

annabeth scowled. "you think so? then you're a dummy! sorry, percy. i-i can't think straight. i think hebe changed more than just how we look. i'm not doing nine years over again."

"let's go back in and find hebe." percy stated, confidently.

"and then what?" grover bleated. "she might turn us into babies!"

"stop it!" annabeth said.

"no, you stop it. meanie!"

"am not!"

"are too!"

"oh my god, shut up!" cherry spun around, leading them right into the store.

almost immediately, she ran into sparky, who looked much more cheerful without her wheel o' prize tickets.

"hi, welcome to hebe jeebies!" she said. "do you know your wayaround?"

"where's hebe?" cherry ignored her words.

"what, you want to be even younger? when hebe blesses you, you shouldn't get greedy. i'm sixty-five myself. it took me months of working here to get this young again!"

"that's not my problem! i don't wanna be a little girl."

"hold on.. are you lodging an age-based complaint?"